Torpedo



N. .'BLQUNT Feb. 24. 1925.

TORPEDO original miga4 July 28, 1921 2 sheets-sheet 1 All .SM1-111101, /z/ezsm lmnl Feb.24.1925. l f 1,527,778 N. BLOUNT, v

Tonno-o original Filed .my :2a.l 1921 2 sheets-sheet 24 Patented Feb.

NELSON BLOUNT, OF JAMESTONN, RHODE ISLAND, .ASSIGNOR TO THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

fronrnno.

Application filed July 28, 1921, Serial No. 488,214. Renewed September 24, 1924.

T0 ai? whomy it may concern.'

Be it known that I, NnLsoN BLOUNT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jamestown, Rhode Island7 have invented new and useful Improvements in Torpedoes, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to. improvements in torpedoes and more particularly to an auxiliary control of the steering mechanism. In certain types of torpedoes now in use or course of development it is sometimes desirable to deflect the torpedo from its normal straight line course and the present invention is directed to a mechanism which may be easily and quickly applied to torpedoes now in general use without materially altering the same except for a slight increase in length.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part'hereinafter pointed out in connection with the attached sheet of drawings forming part of this disclosure wherein,

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the vauxiliary section. Y

Figure 2 is a central vertical section showing such parts of the mechanism as are necessary to understand the invention.

Figure 3 is aV sectional view taken through the forward part of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view of a part of the mechanism shown in Figure 3.

Referring now to these drawings in detail the section shown in Figure 1 is an independent part adapted to be inserted between the war head and the forward end of the air flask. There is indicated at 1 and 2 the forward and after joint rings adapted to be fitted to the head and the air flask respectively. I'Vater tight bulkheads 3 and 4 are provided and secured to the rings 1 and 2 in any desired manner. The outer shell 5 of the section is flush with the air flask and head exterior surfaces and slotted openings are provided for the corrective vanes hereinafter described. The mechanism with the exception of the vanes is enclosed by a ring 6 secured to the rings 1 and 2 in any desired manner. Vanes 7 and S are for correction of the course of the torpedo in a horizontal plane while vanes 9 and 10 shown in Figure 3 are for correction in a vertical plane. These vanes are carried by rods 11 and 12 passing through the inner ring 6 provided with suitable stuffing boxes thence through a tube 13 in which they are free to slide within certain limits. tube 13 passes through a bracket 14 in which it is free to turn this bracket 14 being rigidly mounted on the after bulkhead 4. An arm 15 is secured to the tube 13 near its central part and between the jaws of the bracket 14 as shown in Figure 2. The vane rods 11 and 12 bear against a compression spring 16 shown in Figure t carried on the inside of the tube 13 and each rod is provided near its inner end with keys 17 and 1S adapted to slide in the respective slots cut in the wall of the tube 13 as shown in Figure 3.

These keys are adapted to transmit rotational movement oi the tube 13 equally to each vane 7 and 8 through the intervening or connecting rods 11 and 12. Outward movement of the rods or keys is limited by the length of the slots which is sufficient for the vanes to clear the outer shell 5 as shown in Figure 1. The vane rods are joined together at their inner ends and limited to equal but opposite outward movement by means of the lazy tong or joint construction 20 provided with a common center on the arm 15. Rotation is impressed on the unit as a whole by means of levers 21 and 22 operative by the con trol mechanism positioned within a casing indicated at 23. This control mechanism. may be of any desired type and forms no part of the present invention except either as it broadly enters into the combinations hereinafter set forth. It is preferably of that type adapted to be actuated by an external source of power such as sound waves, electro-magnetic waves or the like. The vanes 7 and 8 are held in housed position against the tension of spring 1G by Vmeans The of a slotted sleeve 24 mounted upon the tube 13 and between a shoulder' 2501i the tube 13 and the end of the key 18. This sleeve is connected by meansofan arm 2G O to one end of a plunger 27, Figure a,

adapted to be actuated by pressure exerted upon a copper bellows 28 against the action of an adjustably mounted spring 30. y

The mechanism for actuating the vertical control vanes 9 and 10 or those for controlling the torpedo in its vertical plane is substantially the same' asl that above describedl leasing the vane rods 11 and 12 which are moved outwardly by the compression spring 1G. The movement of these vrods is limited and equal by reason of the lazy tong' construction 20 the total movement being suiiicient to clear the' outer shell 5. Inthis position the vanes are free to rotate under any action impressed kby means of the control 28 through the intervening levers 21 and 22 secured tothe member 15. d

@ther methods of construction and arrangement of the parts are vpossible and' would readily 'suggest themselves to one skilled in the art and I therefore do not coniine myself to the specific arrangement herein shown and described which is simply for the purpose o'f'ill'ustrating'one of various possible mod'iication's;` A

y It will thus be seen that the presentinvelr tion is directed to a simple and practical automatic control' of compact and inexpensive construction -which may be easily and quickly applied to torpedoes now in general use.

Without further analysis, the fo`reg ing`vr will so fully reveal the gist of this invention that others can by applying' current knowledge readily adapt it for various applications without omitting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of' the generic or specific aspects of this inven-` tion and, therefore, such adaptations should and are intended to be,eomprehendedwithin the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

vWhat I claim is 1. YIn a torpedo, in combination, a'n auxiliary steering 'control section adapted to be interposed betw'eenthe airv flask' and the warhead, said section having rudder's adapted to extend beyond the outer surface thereof.

2. In a torpedo, in combination, -an auxiliary steering control section adapted `to be interposed between the air flask and the war-head, said section being provided with vertical rudders.

3'. In a torpedo, in combination, an auxiliary steering control sectio-nadapted to be interposed between the air flask and' the Vwar-head, said section being provided to be interposed between thev air flask andv thewar-head, said section having' auxiliary steering riidders normally housed within the section and means adapted to 'project said rudders outwardly from said section.

6. I'n a' torpedo, in combination, auxiliary steering controlsection adapted to be interposed between the air fiask and the war-head, said section having auxiliary steering rudders normally vhoused within the section and means adapted to project said 'r'iidders outwardly from said section', said means comprising a. controldevic'e'operated from an externalsource of power and intervening'means between' said' control devicev and said rudders adapted to actuate the latter. Y. l

7. In a torpedo, in combination, an auxiliary steering'control section adapted to be' interposed between the a'rfn'ask andA the p war-head, rudders normally housedv within the periphery of said section, means for locking said rudders in sai'd position, means' for releasing said locking means when the torpedo is launched, means for movingr said ri'id'ders outwardly from the periphery of said section'and means for actuating said rudders as desired. n e

8.` In a torpedo, in combi-nation, i an auxiliary steering control section-.f adapted to be interposed between the air flaskk and the'wa'rshead, oppositely positioned r'udder'sV normally housed within the periphery of said section, control means, means locking said rudders in housed position, hydrostatically actuatedvmeans for releasing said locking mea-ns and means for Hrmoving said* rudder-s outwardly from th'eeperiph'ery of said section whereby they may be operated from. saidv control means.

4Signed atk Newport, Rhode Island, this 13th day of June, 1921.`

NELSON BLOUNI. 

